Thursday, 2 February 2017

Niall of the Nine Hostages

The mighty warrior king Niall Noígíallach dominates the twilight world
between history and legend. He was one of the greatest of the High Kings
of Ireland in prehistoric days, but one of the least known to modern
historians. He gave rise to the powerful and widespread O'Neil (Ui
Neill) dynasty of rulers, but even the century in which he lived is
obscure. He was a pagan, but his reign prepared the way for
Christianity. That Niall of the Nine Hostages did live and did rule
at least part of Ireland nobody doubts, but how powerful he really was
and how he got his famous sobriquet "of the Nine Hostages" remain
utterly obscure. In this book historian Oliver Hayes goes back to
the original legends, old manuscripts and seeks to disentangle fact from
legend to reveal the true character and career of Niall of the Nine
Hostages.

About the AuthorOliver Hayes has written
several books, ebooks and magazine articles about British history. His
grandfather was from Ireland, his grandmother from Wales and he himself
lives in England - giving him a special overview of the historical
nations of Britain.